MsCardinal's iPod Shuffle Challenge
by MsCardinal
Summary: Thanks to Another Artist for thinking of this! I will keep the stories fairly short. Please R&R! Here are a few of the songs: "Thriller"-Micheal Jackson, "What You Give Away"-Vince Gill, and "First Cut Is The Deepest"-Sheryl Crow. I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

**Ipod Shuffle Challenge**

"**Good Morning Good Morning"-The Beatles**

Ian was awaken by a shrill scream.

"Oh my GOD!"

Ugh. It was his sister, Natalie.

"Where are my boots? I'm shooting Drew with my dart gun! He lost my Frye boots!"

Ian figured it would be useless to try to get back to sleep now that Natalie was worked up. He showered, dressed, and decided to take a walk. They were staying in New York. Supposedly, there was a clue hidden in the subway.

Their hotel was downtown, so Ian wandered the sidewalks which wound past high-end shops, restaurants, and everything in-between. Although it was only eight o'clock, the city was bustling. He had a difficult time getting down the sidewalk without knocking anyone down. Ian stopped in front of a theater where Oliver Twist was playing. Despite its focus on poor people, Ian decided to go in. He thought it was a place Amy would be likely to go.

The place was shabby compared to his standards, but Ian looked across the aisle and saw the one person he had wanted to see. Amy Cahill was nervously staring his way.

**A/N: I don't own 39 Clues, the characters, Good Morning Good Morning, Frye, or Oliver Twist. Here are the lyrics that inspired me:**

_**Heading for home you start to roam; now you're in town...**_

_**After a while you start to smile; now you feel cool...**_

_**Go to a show; you hope she goes...**_

**Thanks for reading! My next song is "Thriller"-Micheal Jackson, which is a great song, but doesn't really relate itself to a story starring 39 Clues characters. If you have any ideas, let me know in a review. Don't worry; I'll make sure anyone whose idea I use gets credit. Please review anyways!**


	2. Something Readers Should Know

Something Readers Should Know

**Okay, peeps. I'm going to tell you why I made Natalie say the following:**

"**Oh my GOD!"**

**I just didn't think she would say "Oh my GOSH!" or "Oh my GUMDROPS!" That is all. **

**Oh yeah. I pretty much only say "oh my gumdrops" **

**To music4eveh: I didn't mean to offend or annoy you when I said "IDK" in the review for How Not To Write Fanfiction. Really. EveryOtherUserNameTaken was like, "Um, you know that they just said text speak should never be used, right?"**

**Thanks for the ideas, everyone; I guess I might make Ian the zombie. Stay tuned for more chapters of "The King's Clue."**


	3. Chapter 2

**Ipod Shuffle Challenge**

"**Thriller"-Micheal Jackson**

Amy Cahill and Ian Kabra were walking past a graveyard on a deserted street. That was when Amy heard the strange moans coming from... Well, she didn't want to believe her ears when they told her that the sounds were coming from underneath the tombstones.

Just twenty minutes ago Amy had run out of the movie theater because she had found _Thriller_ too scary. Ian followed, and when he caught up began teasing her.

"_It's close to midnight; something evil's a-lurkin' in the dark._

_Another moonlight; you see a sight that almost stops your heart. _

_You try to scream, but terror takes the sound before you make it._

_You start to freeze as someone looks you right between the eyes._

_You're paralyzed!"_

Amy wasn't nearly so scared after hearing him make fun of the movie. She and Ian strolled down the empty streets, which was when Amy was sure that she heards noises from the graveyard.

"Do you heard that?"

"Hear what, love?"

"Don't call me love. Those grumblings from... from the graveyard. They sound like they're coming from that old graveyard."

"I don't hear anything. You're just thinking about that movie."

They turned a corner, and Amy screamed. Zombies were everywhere! Grotesque and emitting blood-curdling moans, the creatures soon had Ian and Amy surrounded; no escape route was visible.

Amy took several steps away from the zombies until she was back-to-back with Ian.

"I-Ian?" Amy turned around to face him.

"EEEEYAHHH!" she screamed. Ian's eyes were yellow, and she could now see that he was a zombie! Taking a step back, Amy broke into a run. She headed for an abandoned house.

Meanwhile...

Dan had a feeling. It was one of those inexplicable sibling communications that the Cahills had. He thought it was telling him his sister was in trouble, and Dan hadn't trusted Ian with his sister even though the clue hunt was over.

So he told Nellie.

"Hey, Nellie. I have this weird feeling that something bad is happening to Amy. I think we should go look for her. I mean, what if she's in trouble? Ian Kabra still isn't trustworthy in my book."

Nellie wasn't happy to have to leave without finishing her famous chocolate icing, but she drove Dan to the movie theater to look for Amy anyway.

Dan came running back out of the movies like his life depended on it.

"They weren't in there! Drive! Drive!"

"Whoa, whoa. Calm down. You're sure they weren't there?"

"Sure, I'm sure!"

**A/N: Yes, "Sure, I'm sure!" looks weird, but say it. It sounds OK.**

"Where do we go, then?"

"Let's check out the streets around here first."

After driving down a few streets, the two searchers were surprised.

"Zombies! Awesome!"

"No, not awesome, little dude! Look! Ian is one of them!"

"I knew it all along!"

Nellie saw the door of the abandoned house slam.

"There! She went into that house."

The two rescuers got out of the car and ran to the house to get Amy. Luckily for them, the zombies were slow, and just reaching the yard when they got out of the car to get Amy.

Unfortunately, the zombies were quick enough that when Nellie opened the door to leave, she came face-to-face with one. She kicked it in the stomach, making it fall backward. "Come on! We have to get out of here!" When Dan stepped out of the door to follow her, a zombie grabbed him. He screamed, and felt Amy grab his arm and pull...

Dan awoke with a start. He looked around, and realized that he was back in his house. _The zombies must have knocked me out. Wow. I can't believe I saw real zombies! They were just like in the movies. _He wondered where Amy was, and whether she was okay. Rolling off the sofa, Dan realized he didn't feel sore at all. He felt like he'd just woken up from a restful nap; he must have been asleep for a long time. "Nellie?" Walking into the kitchen, he saw Nellie standing over a mixing bowl.

"Hey, sleepyhead! Ready to have some of my famous chocolate icing? It's almost done!"

Hmmm... Hadn't Nellie almost had that icing ready when they had left? He supposed that she must have just started working on it again. "So how's Amy doing?"

"I don't know, silly! She just left to see _Thriller_ with Ian."

**A/N: MWAH-HA-HA! To make things a little clearer, Ian's clothes changed into the ragged clothes of the other zombies, so that was one way Amy could tell he was one. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially to the person who recommended that I make Ian the guy who Micheal Jackson was, and Amy the girl. (I apologize for not calling you by name, but my parents are on the computer with internet.) For anyone who hasn't seen the video, A) You need to see it. B) This story is just like the video, except for that the girl is rescued, and Dan wakes up to realize it was a dream. (One that might come true, albeit.) My next song is "Strong Enough"-Sheryl Crow. I know I said "Thriller" would be difficult, but this song is going to be hard! It's about a girl who's saying she needs a man strong enough for her. Hm... Please let me know any ideas in a reviews. **

**P.S. Nice rhyming, reviewer! [You know, "Amy and Ian in the city. (hopefully) k-i-s-s-i-n-g."]**


	4. Chapter 3

**Ipod Shuffle Challenge**

"**Strong Enough"-Sheryl Crow**

Amy was so glad Dan had kept it together when she had been on the brink of losing it. If he hadn't stayed strong... she didn't want to think about how hard things could have become. She realized now that Dan was right, though. The fire their parents had perished in wasn't her fault.

_Who lit the match?_ Amy wondered. That was the reason the Cahill siblings had for staying in the race now. Amy knew that no matter what, they would eventually have to learn who started the fire that night. Possibilities of who the culprit was swirled around her brain like the rain plastering her hair to her head, but there was no way to figure it out until they knew more.

"Whumpf, Mbee. Umf erdayed!" Dan said with a mouth full of Doritos.

"Don't be gross, Dan. Spit those out right now!"

Dan gulped down the prodigious amount of chips stuffed in his mouth, and then promptly had a coughing fit. After Nellie handed him a Pepsi and he chugged most of it, he told her, "I said, There's an arcade! Can we go in?"

Amy sighed good-naturedly. "Alright, fine. Let's go. It's about time we had some fun."

**A/N: Thanks to all the reviewers! I'm going to try to make these shorter for now, since I want to enter the 39 Clues humor contest. If you want to know more about Anna and Ian's "history" check out number 8, "First Cut is the Deepest." I don't own 39 Clues, Doritos, or Pepsi.**

**Keep reading and writing! **


	5. Chapter 4

**Ipod Shuffle Challenge**

"**What You Give Away"-Vince Gill**

Victram Kabra was not pleased, which meant trouble for whoever was unfortunate enough to cross him first. His stocks hadn't done as well as the Kabra family broker had predicted. This meant that he would be unable to purchase the house in Jamaica that Isabel had her eye on. He turned on the satellite radio, hoping to hear something calming.

_You see the business page, see how you did today._

Newspapers. Bah. They were only for peasants.

_Life just passes by. You live up on the hill; you've got a view that kills. _

_Never wonder why. _

Who cares why? Only poor people would care about how they got their money.

_After you've counted everything you've saved, do you ever hit your knees and pray?_

_You know there's gonna be a judgment day, so what will you say? _

_No matter what you made, all that you can take is what you give away._

That was quite a disturbing thought, even to the ever-calm Kabra. Turning off the radio, he was just leaning back in his chair to relax when a knock came at the door.

"Father?"

At being disturbed, a dark look came over the Kabra's supernaturally handsome face.

"Come in."

By the time Ian had entered the room, Victram's features were utterly unreadable again.

**A/N: Hmm... Did you guys like this? Sorry it's so short. I've had a ton of homework recently. Words in italic are lyrics to the actual song. I don't own 39 Clues, these characters, Jamaica, (Umm... that's obvious, right?) or What You Give Away. Thanks for the reviews! They mean a ton to me! **

**GO FANFICTION!!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Ipod Shuffle Challenge**

"**I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight"-Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart**

Although he appeared to be reading, Ian Kabra was not doing anything close. He was thinking about his mother. Right now, Ian wasn't happy with her, and he was sure Natalie wasn't either. Isabel, their mother, had just driven a car, with them in it, right in the path of a plane incapable of stopping. If the pilot hadn't pulled up, he wouldn't be here now. Ian flashed back to the conversation following that incident.

"_Why would you do something like that? We could have been killed. That includes you!"_

"_Oh, shut up, Ian. You worry too much. You're here now, aren't you?"_

"_I don't- Mum... You can't endanger your own children!"_

"_You impertinent-DON'T CALL ME MUM!"_

He had ceased attempts to reason with his mother then. It would do no good to work her up. Though he tried to turn his thoughts to something less emotional, Ian couldn't help thinking about the other time that same day his mother had done something drastic.

_Amy Cahill was on their speedboat. She had refused Isabel's "offer" to join the Kabras in the clue hunt. Now his mother was preparing to feed Amy to sharks if she didn't hand over information about the clues._

"_Mum, please-" Ian pleaded._

"_Have you ever seen a shark cage?" she told Amy, ignoring her son completely. "I have. I've looked into a shark's eyes and it's like looking at death itself."_

_Then Isabel had started throwing chum into the water to attract sharks. Ian was terrified for Amy, even though she was competition. Then he heard his father's voice in his head. "You know sympathy is FLO! For Losers Only. And Kabras are never losers, are we?" He didn't care; he wasn't going to let Isabel feed Amy to the sharks that were already beginning to circle their boat. Ian knew he should be apathetic, but he just couldn't seem to smother his repulsion at what Isabel was about to do and fear for Amy._

"_All right, then. Why don't you tell me all the clues that you and your brother have gathered? Or would you rather go for a swim?"_

"_Are you out of your mind?" Amy had asked,without a trace of stutter in her voice._

"_You don't need a suit. It won't matter in a few seconds anyway. Or minutes. The sharks might be feeding on the fish parts, but they'll get to you eventually. And I have plenty more. So. What do you say? Swim or talk?"_

"_Mum?"_ _Ian began again._

"_Not __**Mum**__! How many times must I remind you? It makes me sound old. So maybe my lazy __**coward**__ of a son won't give me a hand. But I don't need one." She straightened her Chanel shirt. "Little Amy and little Dan. Who knew they would find a way to travel the world? Paris, Moscow, Venice, Seoul, Karachi. You sent the Lucian stronghold into a frenzy."_

_Amy had a confused look when Isabel said "Karachi."_

"_Who helped you in Russia? How many clues have you found?" Isabel demanded._

_She had backed Amy against the boat's railing while she talked. "Throw some more fish in the water."_

_Ian was too sickened at what would inevitably happen to move._

"_NOW!" Isabel screeched, sounding eerily like Natalie._

_Numbly, Ian obeyed Isabel. He had seen the para gliders hovering in the sky, though. All he could do now was hope that they were Cahills who would help Amy. Make no mistake, Ian wanted to win the clue hunt. Sending Amy to her death was simply too much for him. He didn't want to be like his mother if she were this ruthless. "The Cahill siblings aren't that big of a threat," he told himself._

When Hamilton had swooped out of the sky and rescued Amy, Ian's relief had been knee-weakening. Isabel had been in too much of a rage to notice, thank goodness.

Ian stared at the words of the magazine he had been pretending to read this whole time. Frustrated at not being able to stop reliving those moments on the boat, he tossed the magazine aside and walked to the window of their hotel. He wondered what Amy was doing right now, and whether she hated him for being a Kabra.

**A/N: Green Day won best rock album at the Grammys! YAY! Did anyone see their performance of 21 Guns with the full cast of American Idiot? Sorry I'm getting off track, but they're just so great.**

**Whew! For some reason, writing this took forever! I don't own the passages I used from **_**In Too Deep**_**, 39 Clues, Chanel, (WAH! Sob, sob. Owning Chanel would rock.) or I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight. **

**I'm getting distracted again, but YAY for my mom! She went to our local mall and bought me book seven today! I've read it already! If anyone has read it, could you let me know what you though of it? Favorite parts? Least favorite parts?**

**Please R&R!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Ipod Shuffle Challenge**

"**First Cut is the Deepest"-Sheryl Crow**

Anna entered Grace Cahill's mansion with Cora and Jonah Wizard; they were greeted warmly. The purpose of coming to this place was to attend the annual holiday party hosted by Grace. All Cahills were expected to attend so that they could have a chance to improve relations with the other family branches, though that was rarely what happened. Cora had never taken Anna to the get-together before, though she had heard about most people who would be there.

Jonah split off to sign autographs, and Cora began talking to Alistair Oh. This left Anna alone and bored. She spotted the Starling triplets in a corner talking amongst themselves. Though she had never met them in person before, Anna knew they were Ekats, so she figured they would be alright. Trying to look like she belonged among all these uptight-looking Cahills, she noticed that everyone was wearing something to proclaim their branch. Isabel Kabra was wearing a red dress that made Anna think of Cruella de Vil, and Alistair's tie was yellow. Anna herself was wearing all green jewelry- a ring with the Janus crest, a necklace with an emerald- together with her purple dress, she felt a bit too artsy compared to everyone else.

Taking a quick peek at Cora, Anna saw that the conversation was still not in hostile territory, though it was only a matter of time, even with Alistair, one of the most benevolent [harmless] Cahills.

As she approached the Starlings, Anna remembered Cora mentioning that the family was stuck-up. She wanted to steer clear and observe the triplets for a moment before approaching, but Sinead had already caught sight of her.

"Hello!" said Sinead, waving happily.

"Hi," replied Anna, trying to appear nonchalant. Sinead gestured toward her brother who was wearing a blue tie. "This is Ted." Then she swept her hand toward the other Starling boy, who Anna knew must be Ned. "And this is Ned." Both boys waved at Anna. "Hi. You're Anna, right?" asked the one who Sinead had introduced as Ned.

"Yes, that's me," said Anna with a smile.

"Care to dance?" asked both boys simultaneously. They looked at each other curiously. "What?" they said, at the same time again.

"You were..." started Ted.

"Forget it," said Ned. Now Anna was thoroughly confused. Sinead wasn't fazed, though. "Stop being such idiots!" she commanded, hitting each boy on the arm. Anna was eager to leave the awkward situation and made up a lame excuse that allowed her to flee.

Knowing that there were about five kids her own age who should be attending the party, she scanned the room. Suddenly someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"I don't believe we've met," said someone with a British accent. Turning around to come face-to-face with a boy her own age, Anna took in his dark skin, flawless black air, and amber eyes. This must be Ian Kabra, future leader of the Lucian branch. He had a red handkerchief in his pocket, and was wearing what Anna recognized as one of the newest Versace suits.

"No, we haven't, but you're Ian Kabra, aren't you?" she replied.

"Yes," he said, eyes smiling. Apparently Ian's clue-hunt training hadn't been completed yet, because there was no way a trained Lucian would have let any emotion into his face. Especially not a Kabra. "Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked.

"No, not particularly. I'm afraid that I've been a bit bored."

"That's a shame. Do you dance?"

Flashing back to that unpleasant moment with the Starlings, Anna answered, "Yes, but I haven't had the best of luck with it tonight. The Starling boys tried to ask me, and both did at the same time. It didn't go well." Then she added, "We're both wearing Versace."

He gave her an up-down look. "So we are."

The few couples on the dance floor clapped as the orchestra Grace had hired ended a particularly fast-paced song. Anna observed that none of them were from mixed branches. So much for Grace's idea that dancing would bring the family together.

"May I have this dance?" asked Ian.

This shocked Anna. It was like...like Jonah saying, "_I've chosen to dispose of my superfluous jewelry." _It just didn't seem _normal_. Now Anna moved to the question of whether to accept or not. If she did, she would be the only person dancing with someone outside of their branch. Well, other than Ian, of course. Then Anna realized she was taking too long to reply. _I'm supposed to be improving branch relations; how can it hurt?_ she thought.

"Sure," she finally answered.

They stepped onto the dance floor, which was decorated with the various animal representatives of the four branches. For not being a Janus, Ian wasn't a horrid dancer, though Anna knew she was better.

"You're not half bad, for a Lucian."

"Thank you," he replied. She was still busy being surprised at his lack of cheek to her comment when the song ended. Their dance hadn't seemed to last any time at all. Ian escorted her off the dance floor. Anna thought about how horrid it must be to live under to regime of Isabel Kabra. That woman was completely crazy. While she was still lost in thought, Ian was watching her. He hadn't thought that Anna was unstable and stupid, like his mother had said Janus were. To an extent, he found her... charming.

They parted ways with a simple "thanks." Anna thought Ian was not at all the way Cora had described Lucians. He hadn't made fun of her, or tried to pry information, or, well, anything weird. They had just danced. Anna wondered what she should do now, and decided to explore Grace's library, which she had heard was gigantic. Making her way through the room packed with Cahills, she saw Cora, who was now talking to Vikram Kabra. There were the Starlings again; Anna carefully kept out of the sight line of Sinead. Finally, she found the library entrance. Taking a deep breath, because she had nearly run to avoid the Starlings, Anna stepped into the library entrance and did a double take.

**A/N: Sorry, I know I'm kind of addicted to "double take," but I just couldn't think of another word, and the thesaurus doesn't have a replacement, surprisingly.**

There was Ian! He was sitting with a girl who had reddish-brown hair, and looked nervous. She must be Amy Cahill, Grace's granddaughter. The thing that shocked Anna was that they weren't just sitting together. They were _kissing_. Putting her hand over her heart in surprise, Anna ducked out of the entryway before either could see her. She wasn't sure what she was feeling. Was she mad at Ian? At Amy? Herself, for...

_He's a Lucian!_ she told herself fiercely. All Anna knew was that she was mad.

Swiveling around to get away from the area as soon as possible, she ran into someone about a head taller.

Anna jumped violently, and did something she hardly ever did: she cursed.

"Bloody hell!"

"Watch it, shortie," said the person, who Anna now saw was a boy her age, though he was taller. It must be Hamilton Holt- who else but a Tomas would have that beefy build?

_Short? I'll show him short! _Now she was barking mad, and showed it by kicking Hamilton in the shin. All her anger came out in that one kick. Hamilton howled and his face reddened.

"Don't call me shortie, dolt- oh, er, sorry, _Holt_," Anna said with an uncharacteristic sneer as she sauntered away, looking much more assured than she felt.

**A/N: I think the title of this song is enough, so I'm not going to put any lyrics. **

**I'm sorry- I kind of made Anna look like a jerk. Oh well. She's a Janus, and we can have nasty tempers. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Anyways, please review and take part in my 39 Clues role-playing forum!**


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